Lack Of Volunteers

[LeCastor]

Not having enough volunteers is not a new issue.  Just tell people why Scouting is important to you and explain that you need help.  If you don't ask someone they aren't likely to volunteer on their own.  Some are scared because they don't understand Scouting.  I don't think we can pinpoint exactly WHY people aren't falling over themselves to be Den Leaders.  Ask, ask, ask, ask.  Repeat as necessary.  

[Sentinel947]

Not having enough volunteers is not a new issue.  Just tell people why Scouting is important to you and explain that you need help.  If you don't ask someone they aren't likely to volunteer on their own.  Some are scared because they don't understand Scouting.  I don't think we can pinpoint exactly WHY people aren't falling over themselves to be Den Leaders.  Ask, ask, ask, ask.  Repeat as necessary.  

Yep. My Troop is searching for a new SM. There's a lot of fear of those jobs. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" 

[Stosh]

Sometimes we're our own worst enemy.  I  volunteered to be SM for a struggling troop.  The didn't want to move to boy-led, patrol-method and preferred to fold the troop instead.  So after it closed, I started my new troop a half mile away.

[Cambridgeskip]

Worth bearing in mind that sometimes to get things fixed you sometimes have to let them break properly.

 

The nature of the scout leader beast is they tend to be very committed people who have difficulty sitting on their hands when they see a job not being done. I'm as guilty as anyone. When they see problems that are not theirs to fix they tend to go ad fix it. Volunteering for this that and the other. Before you know it they are stressed out of their minds and they are doing too many things to do any of them properly.

 

When that happens sometimes you have to step away and let some of those spinning plates fall over. Cancel a few nights of scouts, cancel a camp, ultimately resign. It's only then that you'll get more people stepping up to the plate to take things on.

[Stosh]

Worth bearing in mind that sometimes to get things fixed you sometimes have to let them break properly.

 

The nature of the scout leader beast is they tend to be very committed people who have difficulty sitting on their hands when they see a job not being done. I'm as guilty as anyone. When they see problems that are not theirs to fix they tend to go ad fix it. Volunteering for this that and the other. Before you know it they are stressed out of their minds and they are doing too many things to do any of them properly.

 

When that happens sometimes you have to step away and let some of those spinning plates fall over. Cancel a few nights of scouts, cancel a camp, ultimately resign. It's only then that you'll get more people stepping up to the plate to take things on.

 

Worse case scenario, get the boys to do 95% of the work like they are supposed to and one can delay that SM burn-out for years.

 

It's called Creative Incompetence (Peter Principle) and the boys (knowing full well what I'm up to) always seem to step up and help their SM get through a problem.  

 

A lot of the times, the boys appreciate them getting asked to step up instead of taking on another ASM.  When they didn't like the summer camp they were attending, I could have assigned an ASM to look at some alternatives, but asked the boys instead.  Been going there ever since.  They done good.  

 

The boys associate with adults, meaning they are learning to be their peers.  Some of my older scouts over the years have done more in the troop than most ASM's.  All I had to do is ask.

 

My ASM asked me a month ago about our rechartering.  I looked at her and said, "Oh, is that due again?"  She smiled and said she'd take care of it.  We both know she does paperwork better than I do.

 

In all my years as a SM I have never had more than 1 ASM even though we have gotten up to 20+ boys.  If I need a second for 2-deep because my ASM can't make it.  I turn to the committee, then the parents, if I can't get a second, I notify the boys the activity is cancelled.  Well, Lo and Behold!!  the boys went home and usually one or two of the adults come back and have changed their minds.    It works kinda nice.

[Tokala]

I see a drastic drop off in people willing to volunteer at the District and Council level locally. Not sure about the unit level. It's going to get worse in Florida. A new law that becomes effective July 1 will require all of our volunteers to submit to fingerprinting background checks. Not many people will want to pay $50-75 to "volunteer".

[Gone]

I see a drastic drop off in people willing to volunteer at the District and Council level locally. Not sure about the unit level. It's going to get worse in Florida. A new law that becomes effective July 1 will require all of our volunteers to submit to fingerprinting background checks. Not many people will want to pay $50-75 to "volunteer".

There's somethiby national could do with the money spent on STEM.

[SeattlePioneer]

<<Yep. My Troop is searching for a new SM. There's a lot of fear of those jobs. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself">>  

 

 

 

That's where the importance of personnel planning becomes critical. You need to be recruiting Assistant Scoutmasters who will become familiar with the program and willing and able to step up at a suitable time.

 

Trying to recruit a Scoutmaster altogether new to the program would understandably be a daunting challenge,  I would suppose.

[packsaddle]

Muuuddddbuuuuugggsss....mmmmmmm. Time for dinner.

Volunteers are always a scarce commodity. People are not blind. They look at the current volunteers who put in so much time and, in many cases, personal treasure as well, that it is hardly a model that will naturally generate more volunteers.

[pargolf44067]

<<Yep. My Troop is searching for a new SM. There's a lot of fear of those jobs. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself">>  

 

 

 

That's where the importance of personnel planning becomes critical. You need to be recruiting Assistant Scoutmasters who will become familiar with the program and willing and able to step up at a suitable time.

 

Trying to recruit a Scoutmaster altogether new to the program would understandably be a daunting challenge,  I would suppose.

 

That's what I did when I was SM and was able to get my replacement when I left.  However, when he needed to step down, none of the ASMs in the troop were willing to step up, which is why I stepped back in.  Need to work on this going forward!